I was living in the woods in my dream house in Mendocino, California, where I thought I would spend the rest of my life. My wife, who was from Sheffield, wanted to return for valid reasons. Still, I was devastated at the prospect of starting over again. Being self-employed teaching cooperative New Games, it’s hard to establish in a new place. However, I wanted the marriage and family so, reluctantly, I chose to cross the big pond. Ironically, we split up a year later, but by then I had made friends and found I liked living in Sheffield with its cultural advantages, such as SOSA XA!, the Southern African choir I sing in. You wouldn’t find that in Mendocino! And with the Peak District only 20 minutes from my doorstep, I had the countryside too. So I stayed.

Whiteley Woods